Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator can use a gas absorption refrigeration system. The refrigerator in some embodiments can store one or two gas cylinders within an outer housing. At least one cylinder can connect to a pressure regulator within the outer housing. In some embodiments, the refrigerator can include a table.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/310,683, filed Mar. 4, 2010, titled REFRIGERATOR, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Refrigerators are discussed herein, especially absorption refrigerators that can run from at least one or alternating current, direct current, and gas. The gas can include liquid propane, butane, natural gas and other types of gas.

2. Description of the Related Art

An absorption refrigerator is a refrigerator with a heat source that provides the energy needed to cool the system. When the refrigerant evaporates or boils, it takes some heat away with it as it, providing the cooling effect. The method needs only heat, and has no moving parts in contrast to other types of refrigerators. Absorption refrigerators may use a solution with ammonia as the refrigerant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some embodiments, a portable refrigerator can comprise an outer body; a refrigeration cavity within the outer body; a door opening to the refrigeration cavity; an absorption refrigeration system within the outer body, the system configured to allow a user to power the system with gas; a pressure regulator; a first 1 lb. gas cylinder directly connected to the pressure regulator and within the outer body; and a second 1 lb. gas cylinder within the outer body.

In some embodiments, the refrigerator can further comprise a table. The table can be a collapsible table connected to a side of the outer body. The refrigerator can further comprise two wheels connected to the outer body and a handle configured to move the refrigerator. The handle can be removable. The refrigerator can include a table and at least one leg that is configured to connect to the outer body at the removable handle location and to the table.

In some embodiments, the refrigerator absorption system can be configured to allow a user to power the system with AC, DC or gas.

In some embodiments, a gas absorption refrigerator can comprise a pressure regulator comprising a housing; a coupling for connecting a cylinder to the housing defining an first flow channel through which gas can flow into the pressure regulator, wherein said coupling is configured to support a gas cylinder to said housing; a second flow channel connecting said pressure regulator with a burner; a cooling chamber; a door configured to open to the cooling chamber; and wheels.

In some embodiments a portable refrigerator can comprise an outer body; a refrigeration cavity within the outer body; a door opening to the refrigeration cavity at a top of the outer body; an table configured to be attachable and detachable to the outer body and above the door, wherein the door is configured for use while the table is attached. In some embodiments, the refrigerator can further comprise an absorption refrigeration system within the outer body, the system configured to allow a user to power the system with gas; a pressure regulator; a first 1 lb. gas cylinder directly connected to the pressure regulator and within the outer body; and a second 1 lb. gas cylinder within the outer body.

In some embodiments, a portable refrigerator can comprise an outer body; a refrigeration cavity within the outer body; a door opening to the refrigeration cavity; a handle configured to connect to the outer body at either of a back of the outer body or a bottom of the outer body; and wheels, wherein the refrigerator can be configured to be moved in balancing on one set of wheels or on two sets of wheels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments are depicted in the accompanying drawings for illustrative purposes, and should in no way be interpreted as limiting the scope of the inventions.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a portable refrigerator.

FIG. 2 is a back view of the portable refrigerator of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a portable refrigerator.

FIG. 4 shows a partially disassembled view of the portable refrigerator of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a portable refrigerator.

FIG. 6 shows some of the components of an embodiment of an absorption system.

FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a detailed and partially disassembled view of part of a portable refrigerator.

FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of a portable refrigerator.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of a portable refrigerator with table.

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of a portable refrigerator with table.

FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of a portable refrigerator with table.

FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of a portable refrigerator with table.

FIG. 14 shows another embodiment of a portable refrigerator.

FIG. 15 shows another embodiment of a portable refrigerator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A portable refrigerator is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The refrigerator can be an absorption refrigerator. Wheels 6 and a retractable or fixed handle 36 can facilitate the portability of the refrigerator. Also size and ease of transportation can allow the refrigerator to be portable. In some embodiments the refrigerator has an interior storage space of less than or equal to about 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0.5 cubic feet. The refrigerator can have a door 11 that allows for top (FIGS. 1-2), front (FIG. 3) or side loading. The door 11 can also can a handle or latch 7. In some embodiments, the door 11 can be locked to ensure the door stays properly closed and sealed.

As will be described in more detail below, the refrigerator can be an absorption system that uses alternating current (AC) direct current (DC) or a gas such as propane as a heat source. For example, the AC can be, for example, 100, 110, 220, 230 or 240 Volts. The refrigerator can be configured to plug into an electrical outlet, such as a standard household electrical outlet. The DC can be, for example, 12V and can be configured to run on a battery or to plug into the electrical outlet of an automobile, boat or other vehicle. The refrigerator can be configured to connect to a source of gas. For example, the refrigerator can connect to 16 oz bottles of propane gas. In some embodiments, the refrigerator can be configured to run on any of AC, DC and gas. This can facilitate the portability and versatility of the refrigerator. One advantage of an absorption system is that it very quiet as compared to a refrigerator with a compressor.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator can have an outer body wrap 1, one or more front supports 14, one or more gas tank access doors 2, and a control panel. Among other features, the control panel can control which heat source is activated, and the desired temperature inside the refrigerator. In some embodiments, the control panel can include a thermostat 9, a manual gas valve 8 and an igniter button 10. The thermostat can control the temperature inside the refrigerator. The manual gas valve can control the flow of gas to a burner, when the refrigerator is used with a gas source for heating. The igniter button can be used to activate an igniter which can ignite a gas to create a flame. In some embodiments the igniter is a piezoelectric igniter.

Looking now to FIG. 2, an AC input 3 and a DC input 41 are shown. A plug, cord or cable can be connected between an AC or DC source and the respective input. FIG. 2 also shows a rear body panel 4 and two gas tank access doors 2, 5. In some embodiments, the refrigerator can hold one or more tanks of gas. For example, one 16 oz propone tank can be stored inside each gas tank access door 2, 5. One or more of the tanks of gas can fluidly connect to refrigeration system. In some embodiments, one tank can be connected to the system and another tank can be stored within a gas tank access door but not fluidly connected to the system. FIG. 4 shows the gas tank access door 2 removed and a 16 oz propane tank 20 fluidly connected to the refrigeration system. Though a 16 oz or 1 lb. propane tank is shown, other size tanks and other fuels can also be used.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator. The refrigerator can have an outer covering such as outer body wrap 1, rear body panel 4, back top panel 37, bottom panel 39, and door 11. In some embodiments, at least the rear body panel and/or the back top panel can include a vent or a series of ventilation holes. Within the outer covering and surrounding the storage or cooling cavity 13 are insulation panels 12. The insulation panels can help to maintain the desired temperature within the cooling cavity 13.

A gas absorption refrigerator can function in the following way. Liquid ammonia is sent into a hydrogen gas at a certain pressure. The liquid ammonia evaporates in the presence of hydrogen gas because the increased pressure lowers the boiling point of the ammonia. When the ammonia evaporates is takes some of the heat with it to thereby provide the cooling effect. The now-gaseous ammonia is sent into a container holding water, which absorbs the ammonia. The water-ammonia solution is then directed past a heater, which boils ammonia gas out of the water-ammonia solution. The ammonia gas is then condensed into a liquid. The liquid ammonia is then sent back through the hydrogen gas, completing the cycle. In some embodiments the fluid within the system can include about 70% water, 30% ammonia and less than 1% hydrogen. Other configurations are also possible.

With reference to FIGS. 5-7, some of the components of some embodiments of an absorption refrigerator are illustrated. A heat sink plate 33 can be located inside the cooling cavity 13. The heat sink plate 33 can have heat sink fins 31 on the side of the plate between the plate and the insulation 12. The heat sink plate 33 and heat sink fins 31 can draw heat from inside the cooling cavity 13 which can be absorbed by the ammonia as it evaporates in the presence of hydrogen in the evaporator 30. Through the gas return 29 and the fluid reservoir 27 the ammonia gas is absorbed by water. The water travels through the liquid feed 28 to a point of heating.

As shown, the refrigerator can use one of many different energy sources to create the heat to boil the ammonia out of the water. In some embodiments the refrigerator can be configured to use one or more types of energy sources. An electric module 26 can control an electric heater 34 to heat the water/ammonia solution. An electric burner sleeve 25 can be placed between all or part of the electric heater 34 and the pipe receiving the solution from the liquid feed 28. In some embodiments the electric module 26 can be configured to work with either AC or DC. The AC may come from, for example, a household outlet and the DC may come from, for example, a vehicle connection, such as a cigarette lighter.

Alternatively, a gas can be burned to heat the water/ammonia solution. In some embodiments a 1 lb. tank of gas 20 can be used. In some embodiments the tank can be less than 16 or 18 oz, or 12-20 oz. The gas can be propane or some other type of gas, such as natural gas or butane. The tank 20 can be directly connected to a pressure regulator 19 for example through a threaded coupling. The coupling of some embodiments can include an internal seal. The tank 20 can be inside of the body or outer housing. The regulator 19 can be held by a two-part regulator bracket 18, 40, which in turn can be held by a tank hold bracket 17. This can be seen in more detail in FIG. 8. In some embodiments, such as that shown in FIG. 9, the regulator bracket 18 can swivel with respect to the tank hold bracket 17 to facilitate connecting and removing the tank 20. In some embodiments, the tank can be held in a vertical or a horizontal position. In some embodiments, one tank 20 can be connected to the refrigerator and stored inside the outer body and an extra tank 38 can also be stored inside the outer body.

The flow of fuel from the tank and pressure regulator 19 can be controlled by the manual gas valve 8. Fuel can flow to the burner 23. The igniter button 10 can activate the igniter 24 to create a flame at the burner 23. A thermocouple 32 can be used as a safety feature so that if the flame goes out the flow of fuel is automatically stopped.

Heat from the flame can pass through the exhaust 22 which can run next to the pipe receiving the water/ammonia solution from the liquid feed 28. This heat can cause the ammonia to boil out the water.

The refrigerator can also be configured to operate with a dual fuel system. This can allow the refrigerator to use one of two different types of fuel. The dual fuel system could be similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,607,426, to Deng entitled Dual fuel heater, incorporated herein by reference. For example, the dual fuel system for a refrigerator could use the pressure regulator (FIGS. 3-7, and accompanying description), and nozzle (FIGS. 12-14, and accompanying description) from the '426 patent and incorporated herein by reference. In some embodiments, the refrigerator could use two separate pressure regulators and/or two separate nozzles. Further, the fluid flow controller could be modified to direct one or two lines of flow from the pressure regulator into the fluid flow controller and one or two lines of flow out to the nozzle(s).

Once the ammonia has been converted to a gas and separated from the water, the gas travels to the condenser 35 where it is converted back into a liquid. The liquid can then enter the presence of hydrogen to be evaporated back into a gas and the process is started all over again. In some embodiments, a pressure release valve 43 can be used. The pressure release valve 43 can also be used to introduce the fluid into the system during production. Even though a particular combination of water, ammonia and hydrogen has been described, other combinations of two or more fluids and/or gases can also be used.

In some embodiments, a portable refrigerator can also include a table. The table can come in one of many different configurations. In some embodiments, the table can separate from the top of the refrigerator or part of the same. In some embodiments, the table can be at least one half of, the same size as or larger than the size of the top of the refrigerator. In some embodiments, the table is up to five times larger than the top of the refrigerator.

FIG. 10 shows a table 49. The table can be collapsible. For example, a support 50 can be used to hold the table 49 up in a generally horizontal position, i.e. when the refrigerator is stationary and sitting on the wheels 6 and supports 14. In this position the door is also on top in FIG. 10 and can be opened to access the storage cavity. The support 50 can be moved to another position so that the table 49 can fold down generally parallel to the handle, as shown the table is in a generally vertical position. In some embodiments, the table 49 can have one or more legs 16. The legs 16 can connect to the outer housing such as at the back of the refrigerator, as shown in FIG. 10. In some embodiments, the handle 36 can be removed and the legs 16 can be placed within the slots that held the handle 36, such as in FIG. 11. As also shown in FIG. 11, the refrigerator can include a storage space 51 for storing the table when not in use. In some embodiments, the table can be at such a height above the refrigerator to allow for top loading the storage cavity 13 through the door 11, while the table is also in use. In some embodiments, the top of the refrigerator can also be used as a table.

FIGS. 12-13 show additional embodiments of portable refrigerators with tables. The tables can include top tables 49 and/or side tables 45, 47. Also, the top of the refrigerator can be used as a table. The side tables can have supports 46, 48. Also, the side tables 45, 47 can be collapsible and permanent or removable. As another example, a refrigerator can have side tables 45, 47 as shown in FIG. 13 and not have the table 49. In some embodiments, the table 49 can be permanent or removable and can be adjustable. For example, in one position the table 49 can be directly on top of the outer body wrap 1 and then in a second position, the table 49 can be higher up, as shown. The door 11 can also have different configurations such as being located on the top, front or side, with the different table configurations. In some embodiments, the handle 36 can have a flip-down table integrated into the handle.

Though tables have been described, other features can be used with or instead of the tables. For example, a drawer, a burner, a griddle, a sink, a towel rack, etc.

FIG. 14 shows another embodiment of a portable refrigerator. This embodiment has three wheels 6 and the handle 36 has hinges 53. This can allow the refrigerator to be moved in either of two positions. The refrigerator can be moved in the upright position shown, or it can be laid back. In some embodiments, the handle can be removable and can connect to different position to facilitate moving the refrigerator while it is in the laid down position. For example, the handle 36 can be connected to the bottom of the refrigerator at 56 in FIG. 15. In some embodiments, that refrigerator can have wheels where the supports 14 are currently located. In some embodiments, one or more of the wheels can be lockable so that the refrigerator does not move when such movement is undesirable. In some embodiments the refrigerator has four wheels.

Although these inventions have been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present inventions extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the inventions and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. In particular, it is contemplated that various aspects and features of the inventions described can be practiced separately, combined together, or substituted for one another, and that a variety of combination and sub-combinations of the features and aspects can be made and still fall within the scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims. 

1. A portable refrigerator comprising: an outer body; a refrigeration cavity within the outer body; a door opening to the refrigeration cavity; an absorption refrigeration system within the outer body, the system configured to allow a user to power the system with gas; a pressure regulator; a first 1 lb. gas cylinder directly connected to the pressure regulator and within the outer body; and a second 1 lb. gas cylinder within the outer body.
 2. The refrigerator of claim 2, further comprising a table.
 3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the table is a collapsible table connected to a side of the outer body.
 4. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising two wheels connected to the outer body and a handle configured to move the refrigerator.
 5. The refrigerator of claim 4, wherein the handle is removable and further comprising a table and at least one leg that is configured to connect to the outer body at the removable handle location and to the table.
 6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the first and second 1 lb. gas cylinders contain propane gas.
 7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the absorption system is further configured to allow a user to power the system with AC, DC or gas.
 8. A gas absorption refrigerator comprising: a pressure regulator comprising a housing; a coupling for connecting a cylinder to the housing defining an first flow channel through which gas can flow into the pressure regulator, wherein said coupling is configured to support a gas cylinder to said housing; a second flow channel connecting said pressure regulator with a burner; a cooling chamber; a door configured to open to the cooling chamber; and wheels.
 9. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the coupling holds the cylinder in position so as to maintain a fluid tight seal.
 10. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the coupling is integrally formed with the housing of the pressure regulator.
 11. The refrigerator of claim 8, further comprising the gas cylinder and wherein said gas cylinder is wholly within the refrigerator.
 12. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein a second gas cylinder is wholly with the refrigerator.
 13. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein said coupling is sufficient to provide sole support to the gas cylinder.
 14. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein said coupling is configured to support for said cylinder in a vertical orientation.
 15. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein said coupling is configured to support said cylinder in a horizontal orientation.
 16. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein said coupling is configured to suspend said cylinder.
 17. The refrigerator of claim 8, further comprising a fluid controller to control a flow of through the flow channel from said pressure regulator to said burner.
 18. The refrigerator of claim 8, further comprising a table configured to extend over a top of the refrigerator.
 19. A portable refrigerator comprising: an outer body; a refrigeration cavity within the outer body; a door opening to the refrigeration cavity at a top of the outer body; an table configured to be attachable and detachable to the outer body and above the door, wherein the door is configured for use while the table is attached.
 20. The refrigerator of claim 19, further comprising an absorption refrigeration system within the outer body, the system configured to allow a user to power the system with gas; a pressure regulator; a first 1 lb. gas cylinder directly connected to the pressure regulator and within the outer body; and a second 1 lb. gas cylinder within the outer body.
 21. A portable refrigerator comprising: an outer body; a refrigeration cavity within the outer body; a door opening to the refrigeration cavity; a handle configured to connect to the outer body at either of a back of the outer body or a bottom of the outer body; and wheels, wherein the refrigerator is configured to be moved in balancing on one set of wheels or on two sets of wheels.
 22. The refrigerator of claim 21, further comprising a table configured to be attachable and detachable to the outer body and above the door, wherein the door is configured for use while the table is attached.
 23. The refrigerator of claim 21, further comprising an absorption refrigeration system within the outer body, the system configured to allow a user to power the system with gas; a pressure regulator; a first 1 lb. gas cylinder directly connected to the pressure regulator and within the outer body; and a second 1 lb. gas cylinder within the outer body. 